Houlihans: property taxes, working cash bonds and petitions, oh my!

So Monday’s Special Board Meeting was rather interesting, and I know Don Kermath is getting a political machine fired up to block the Board from going forward with the issuance of working cash bonds.

In typical Houlihan style, I invite you all to come out and talk about this, 11:30 – 12:30. My hope is to get a larger after-hours forum set up for a broader discussion as well. I’ll have a sign-up sheet if you want to sign a petition, but more importantly I want to take notes and ask how people react to this. You are quite welcome even if you do not want to sign.

What we are NOT going to do: we are not going to call anyone tyrannts. I feel strongly that the Board members and Administration staff are hard-working individuals with good intent. I personally sent them a word of thanks and appreciation for how much time they invest into the District after the Feb 27th meeting because I truly feel that way. There is no place, in my opinion, for tossing around adjectives with heavy baggage.

We might disagree (and we do), but I am cool with that; I invite disagreement. I totally agree with Unit 4 that we need to fix, repair and upgrade our facilities. The state is utterly failing, so the burden is on our shoulders. What are we going to do if Pensions fall on our shoulders as well? We need to figure out how to handle this mess the state has so conveniently dropped into our lap. I see this as an opportunity to galvanize the public and get people talking, raise awareness and encourage participation. I do not want to see mud-slinging, pointed fingers and name calling. But I also want the public more involved in these kinds of decisions, and I believe the Board does a disservice to itself by feeding people’s distrust. I don’t think that particular effect is intentional – is it out of habit?

References

News-Gazette (Meg is also interacting with readers): http://www.news-gazette.com/news/education/2012-02-27/school-board-approves-145-million-bonds-petition-could-force-vote.html

WCIA: http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=344852

WICD: http://www.wicd15.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/vid_4949.shtml?wap=0

Halfway Interesting (Greg Novak has a great response from the Board’s POV): http://www.halfwayinteresting.com/Pages/CityofChampaign/tabid/90/entryid/859/Updated-Unit-4-Tax-Hike-Working-Cash-Bonds.aspx

(still waiting for Don Kermath to get a website up and running – have not yet checked facebook, but I am sure there are pages out there for this)

 

UPDATE (8:22): Meg has a new article focusing on Don Kermath’s efforts:

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/education/2012-02-29/resident-organizing-challenge-champaign-districts-working-cash-bonds.html

Feb 27th Special Board Meeting

After hearing about Meg Dickinson’s article highlighting the working cash bonds and taking a peek at the Agenda, I decided to drop by and see what was going on. In truth, I was very interested to hear about the Great Schools, Together (GST) report and the research on the high school options, both of which have received very little coverage. Both topics consumed roughly 2.5 hours, a long, drawn-out “conversation”. I kept thinking to myself “there has got to be a better way to do this”.

I am going through the notes I took, and I have to apologize that they are not fully organized. But I’ll relate to the best of my ability.

Before the meeting kicked off,

Big Agenda for tonight’s Board Meeting

Apparently, my RSS feeds are seriously lagging – I am just now learning about a number of very interesting things going on at the Board meeting tonight.

From BoardDocs:

7. Reports: New Business

A. Great Schools Together Update: Judy Wiegand

B. High School Options: Judy Wiegand

C. Summer Youth Employment: Orlando Thomas

D. District Technology Plan: Roger Grinnip

8. Action Agenda: Unfinished Business

A. Approval of Resolution: Notice To Issue Working Cash Bonds: Gene Logas

B. Approval of Resolution Expressing Intent To Reimburse Certain Capital Expenditures Form Future Bond Proceeds: Gene Logas

The PDF for the Great Schools Together (GST) is … not as exciting as I was hoping for. The High School Option PDF gives an analysis of what it would be like having one high school, but I did not see where the report is credited to any one person or group.

I am a little concerned about the working cash bonds; $15.5 million is a bit of money, and over the past month since Meg reported on this, I have not seen or heard of any kind of discussion happening about these things. I get the feeling that the District assumes silence implies consent, which is probably the furthest thing from the truth.

 

The Gene Logas documents spell out the legal requirements, and since I don’t speak Legalese, they don’t mean much to me. The one spreadsheet does give a broad breakdown of that $15.5 million. I see that the wireless ($2.3 mil) and the one-laptop-per-child ($3.4 mil) tie into Grinnip’s technology plan, but I was under the impression those monies came from other sources (the name of the Federal Grant escapes me now). That’s just one-third of the total pie, but a big third it is.

 

References:

BoardDocs: http://www.boarddocs.com/il/champil/Board.nsf/public

Meg Dickinson’s article from today: http://www.news-gazette.com/blogs/schoolhouse-blog/2012-02/champaign-school-board-vote-working-cash-bond-issue-discuss-merits-on

Meg’s Jan 23rd article: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/education/2012-01-23/champaign-school-board-consider-high-school-possibiities-issuing-cash-bond

Previous blog entry: http://champaignunit4.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/concerns-about-where-the-administration-is-going/

 

My head is starting to spin. You all have 30 days to gather some 9,000+ signatures if you want to petition the cash bonds.

Jamar Brown now reporting on U4 BOE every 4th Monday

re: http://www.halfwayinteresting.com/Pages/CityofChampaign/tabid/90/entryid/858/Whats-Happening-at-Unit-4.aspx

Jamar Brown writes at Halfway Interesting:

“It seems like it has been forever since I have made a post, but in reality I just have a new date.  I will now be featured on the fourth Monday of every month. “

 

Jamar gives us a brief glimpse into what he is involved in and some of the cool things going on in Unit 4 schools. I am hoping to engage with him a little so we can see what is on the BOE’s punch list. And I truly hope that folks take the opportunity to interact with Mr. Brown via Halfway Interesting.

 

Good stuff!

 

PS – I am also asking the site maintainer (Eric Bussell) about an RSS feed specifically for Unit 4 and/or Jamar Brown. I can see direct links that might work as a substitute (but not compatible in Google Reader):

Jamar’s Authored posts: http://www.halfwayinteresting.com/Pages/CityofChampaign/tabid/90/authorid/139/Default.aspx

Education & Schools Category: http://www.halfwayinteresting.com/Pages/CityofChampaign/tabid/90/categoryid/118/education-schools.aspx

Supper with the Super

I thought I had posted about the upcoming “Supper with the Superintendent”, but I cannot find it.

 

re: http://www.champaignschools.org/news/news_view.php?action=view&news_type=captioned_photo&id_news=253  (and numerous other places)

Superintendent Dr. Judy Wiegand will host Supper with the Superintendent on Thursday, March 1 at 6 PM in the cafeteria at Stratton Elementary School. This informal meeting with a light meal is designed to continue the conversation between community members and the administration of the school district. The public is invited to attend. The meal will be catered by the Advanced Foods Class at Central High School, part of the Career and Technical Education program at Unit 4 high schools.

 

I highly encourage… well, everyone to go. Especially if you have not met Dr. Judy Wiegand, yet. Don’t just take my word that she is a very sincere and attentive Superintendent, go find out for yourself. If you have burning questions, are curious, or just want to observe, this opportunity to “continue the conversation” is awesome! I dearly hope this is only the first of many such events.

Education Summit: Springfield is getting their game on

re: http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=343822

This is exciting! “Communication can create change”. 4 big words. I saw this and started thinking, “Hmm…. Unit 4 should do this. Better yet, what about getting Unit 4 and Unit 116 (Urbana) to do this?”

I really like that the children (ie, the students) are a part of the process. They bring such an invaluable perspective to the table. I really like how they started with a very visible and very troubling topic (racism and violence). And the idea of putting everything on the table is just amazing. I sincerely want something like that to happen locally.

I tried to follow the links (http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/about/), but am not finding much about the Summit. I hate it when a news story goes out and the web stuff is not ready. I found one “Education Summit” from November 2011 – maybe that is the one? But no further info on it, like who organized it, where that infamous FAQ is, etc. Google showed me a Springfield Journal article (http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x2112945713/Local-group-hosting-schools-summit-on-Feb-25) which takes FOREVER to load (try this one for a faster copy: http://champaignunit4.wordpress.com/copy-of-sj-education-summit/). It appears to be a summit put on by a “local faith-based group”. Which harkens me back to Dry Grass and how social centers like churches get involved in big ways. The wheels in my head be turning….

“Our whole focus is, ‘How can people within the community — parents and community members and teachers — how can we work together to really change the way that some things are done so that all students can achieve academically?”

Yes. Indeed. Next stop – chatting with Pattsi Petrie and going to start walking this walk.

 

UPDATE: Going to be talking to the Faith Coalition for Common Good later this week as well.

Literacy

Several recent conversations have me thinking about “big issues” in Unit 4. The kind that really matter. I am not saying I know what they are or that I have found all of them, but I am beginning to see that Literacy is a big deal. More so because it is not isolated to Unit 4 and definitely crosses over into community responsibilities as well.

First I would like to paint a background picture of what is framing my thoughts.

Something to check out

I am utterly remiss in not mentioning the awesome Tech Night at BTW this past Wednesday! Grr…. If anyone went to it, I would love to hear more.

 

So that I do not overlook another really cool event, I want to mention the “official Independence Day”. What the heck is that you ask? Who cares about “microsociety”? If you are asking those kinds of questions, perhaps you should go at 1:pm to Stratton and find out. =)

 

Unit 4 Facebook announcement: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=274883719246350&id=144915725576484

Stratton Weebly site: http://strattonmagnetschool.weebly.com/

Meg Dickinson’s NG article: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/education/2012-01-29/new-stratton-program-will-make-students-members-microsociety.html

Stratton’s “Constitutional Convention” blog (temporary home, I believe): http://www.cdjackson.name/

champaignschools.org is down again – IP address works

re: http://champaignunit4.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/ip-address-for-champaignschools-org/

same thing.

http://209.174.182.101/

Yes, still meeting at Houlihans today

Sorry about the late notice; I’ll be at Houlihans if anyone else wants to show up (11:30). We can chat about the latest things going on in Unit 4, or if you have a bee in your bonnet that’s ok, too.

chat with Dr. Wiegand: Dr. Alves, and top priorities

I had an excellent, succinct and very informative phone call with Dr. Wiegand this morning. I continue to be blown away how much different the current administration is then what it was a year ago. I am really excited about this transitional period that Unit 4 is in.

Caution: this is a blog, and I am merely a parent. Just because I write something here, it should not be construed as being authoritative or have any legal binding whatsoever. I am just commenting, observing and giving my perspective.

The premise of our call was to chat about Dr. Alves’ contract. Unit 4 does not have “Schedule One”. Or at least, they cannot locate it. This just blew my mind – I even told Dr. Wiegand I was speechless (funny how “speechless” is an oxymoron in this sense). I’ll let the obvious lay there for you to contemplate. *grin* She mentioned that she is talking directly with Dr. Alves to get “Schedule One” from him. I made it quite clear in my emails that I am asking about Alves’ contract as a way to ascertain what services he provides exactly so as to relocate those services to Champaign; Judy acknowledged this and stated that she and Sue Grey have similar thoughts, and they are considering a new RFP to go out, possibly even as soon as late Spring.

I also asked about

Anti-Bullying Program tonight (Tuesday, Feb 21st)

Related to my previous post, here is another anti-Bullying session (hat tip to Will Kyles):

6:00pm – Anti-Bullying Program, sponsored by the NAACP Education Committee, Champaign Unit 4 Title I and Salem Baptist Church. Special Guests: Champaign Unit 4 School Superintendent Judy Wiegand and Urbana Assistant Police Chief/Newly Hired Champaign Chief of Police Anthony Cobb. Salem Baptist Church (500 E. Park. St., Champaign). Contact Cynthia Williams at 217-356-3214 for more information.

“Local Group Plans to Host Forum Series About Bullying”

I am shamelessly copying a Chambanamoms post (that is called syndication, right? ). I have not really delved into this critical topic, but at some point I want to. Unfortunately, the first forum is tonight (in a mere 90 minutes).

 

http://www.chambanamoms.com/2012/02/20/local-group-plans-to-host-forum-series-about-bullying/

A regional non-profit group is hosting a forum this evening — and twice a month from here on out — about the forms and effects of bullying.

The TALK Foundation, Taking Action, Loving Kids, is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the safety and well-being of children in the Champaign-Urbana area, says co-founder Kathy El Koury.

“While our current focus is bullying, we are interested in all issues that impact children, including sexual and physical abuse,” she tells chambanamoms.com.

The first free event is from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., tonight, Monday, Feb. 20, in the Robeson Pavillion at the Champaign Public Library, and attendees can expect to be introduced to the organization, and then people will be offered the chance to share their thoughts and experiences about bullying.

El Koury, who is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a therapist at Kevin Elliott Counseling, says that while bullying has been top of mind for many parents lately, especially after tragic incidents like the death of Ashlynn Conner, the fact is that bullies have been around since the beginning of time.

“It is true that bullying has occurred for many, many years,” she says. “However, that does not mean that it is acceptable.  During the forum tonight, I will discuss recent studies that indicate that being bullied has long-lasting effects on children.  Additionally, the children exhibiting the bullying behaviors also suffer long-term consequences as they continue such behaviors into adulthood.”

The TALK Foundation plans to host similar open forums every month in Champaign, every first and third Monday, at the library.

No child — whether they are the victim or the perpetrator — should suffer through bullying, says El Koury.

“The effects of bullying, on the victim and the child who is bullying, are not part of growing up,” she says.

Unit 4′s contract with Dr. Alves

I submitted a request to see the contract that Unit 4 has with Dr. Alves; I received a printed sheaf of documents. So, I scanned them in and had FreeOCR converted them back to electronic text. Aside from the markup (bold and underlined words), it came across … decently. I still had to clean it up.

http://champaignunit4.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/alves_contract.docx

It is mostly legal jargon. I intend to look it over and try to make heads or tails of it. At first glance, I did not see any set money amount at all. In fact, it looks mostly to be for some “software” that we are licensing. Which confuses me, because I know we pay him for more than just a software license (software which we do not have, by the way). Lots and “ifs”, “ands” and “buts”. (*sigh*)

So, feel free to peruse this and let me know what you find. The more eyes the better. I have a feeling I am going to go back to Unit 4 and say something like “umm… this is not quite what I asked for.” But I want to read it thoroughly first. Or at least attempt to.

Response to WCIA “Carrie Busey name” article

re: http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=341172

The “comment” section still seems broken. Not sure what is going on, but they appear to have technical difficulties. So here is what I typed up but could not post.

“Leaders say”? Who? “Research shows…..”

I would posit that the “issue” of the school name is indeed a trivial matter at the root. What is much more significant is the dialog surrounding said rumors, “unnecessary controversy” and proposals. It is how these conversations are happening versus how they should have been handled from the get-go back when Arlene Blank brought up the possibility in June 2010 and Culver is reported to have made a promise to the staff. The really important, and very healthy, discussions should have started *then*.

Instead what we have now is no small amount of mud-slinging which deteriorates relationships. And it doesn’t help that the public news media is taking part in the food fight.

It is good that broader discussions between groups (ie, the PTA and the Board President, the staff, etc) are finally taking place. It seems to me that discussions between those who disagree can be very helpful for all involved in terms of maturing as a community and learning to value and respect different opinions. That is what I long for. People are important and their thoughts have value.

 

As an aside, I am amused that WCIA picked up on Sue Grey joining the PTA next week. I am thinking they have someone reading the Carrie Busey PTA facebook page, which was only posted last night. I don’t think Unit 4 has made such a public announcement, yet.